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Trucks on Display

 

Below is a sampling of the many trucks on display in our Trucking Hall of Fame® Exhibit Hall. Check out our app for more information, photos, and an audio recording for each truck.  Click here to download.

1917 Velie 26 B 3.5-Ton


Engine Type:
Continental F4

Transmission Type:
4-Speed Brown-Lipe

Truck Information:
Velie Motor Corporation was founded in 1908 by Moline-native Willard Velie, grandson of John Deere, and sold more than 1000 cars in its first three years of business. In 1911, the company began production of trucks. Velie decided to branch out even more and in 1927, he started manufacturing aircraft under the name Mono Aircraft Inc. However, this venture was short-lived; the airplane company was sold off just two years later. Velie automobile production also ended around that time after the passing of both the company’s founder and his succeeding son within a year of each other. Part of the factory is still standing in Moline, Illinois. This Velie 26 B 3.5-Ton was originally used in Silver City, New Mexico by T.C. Watkins to haul mining equipment and supplies along the Mogollon Rim. It is only one of five Velie trucks known to still exist. Old work-horse trucks like this are rare. Many were shipped to Europe by the Army during World War I. It is a heavy truck; most were bought up for scrap and the metal was reused for tanks, bombs, torpedoes, and ships in WWII. Its solid rubber tires weight 700 pounds each. The truck has had much use as evidenced by the repaired and braced frame. The engine mounts have even worn into the frame. You can't buy parts for these trucks anymore. Its engine is obsolete and has been for years; we had completely rebuild it. All trucks in the early days were the bare minimum when they came out of the factory unless a part was special ordered. Dump beds could be provided by the factory, but they were expensive. Some people just made their own. Top Speed: 12 MPH



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